Well I don’t know how things are in your part of the world, but around here, the past two weeks, everyone seems to be in complete panic mode regarding the H1N1 flu pandemic…

News of the 13-year old hockey player and now the 2-month old baby who have died of H1N1 have for sure fueled the panic.  Add to that the vaccine shortage… people lining up 5-6 hours to get their shot… people getting turned away because they don’t fit into the high risk groups (kids 6 months to 5 year being among the high risk group accepted at the moment).  Lots of indecisiveness and confusion about what to do with the vaccine… We are bombarded by conflicting information on a daily basis.   We have decided to go ahead with the H1N1 vaccine (despite my having been the biggest skeptic when it comes to the regular flu shot, I’m thinking that this isn’t the year to be a skeptic and I’m trusting the advice of my friends and family who are in the medical world!)  I’m not writing this to get the debate going about whether to vaccinate or not… that’s a personal decision… do your research and decide for yourselves!

Rather, I’m writing to address the mass panic… It is easy to live in fear… in fear of getting sick… in fear of germs everywhere… in fear of our children getting sick and ending up like the kids we’ve heard about on the news…

PANIC

FEAR

WORRY

I have caught myself begin to panic a few times over the last couple of weeks… but I just need to recognize it, and change the fear and worrying into prayer… The panic around me has fueled my prayer to God for my children and our family… for health, for protection, and for so much more…

Prayer and looking to God’s truths in scripture give me peace as they take my eyes away from my circumstances, and rather remind me that there is an all-knowing, powerful God who is present and at work – not just in a cosmic distant way, but in a close and personal way.  He knows me, my family and everything about us, and even better, He loves us and cares for us.  Prayer keeps me focused on who God is and melts away fear and worry.

Now does that mean that we will be free from illness, tragedy and heartache in our lives?  No.  But I do believe that God hears our prayers and answers them in ways that He knows are best for us in the long term.  That can be impossible for any of us to understand depending on what we’re coping with.  In the face of those difficult times, I do believe that God gives us the strength to handle whatever we are up against just when we need it, and that it somehow fits into a larger plan that I may be unable to make sense of in the moment.

Here are two of my favourite verses that bring me hope and peace – as well as a few others!

“Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and your outstretch arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.”  Jeremiah 32:17

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” – Jesus (Matthew 11:28)

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you”  Isaiah 43:5a

I leave you with this prayer from Romans 15:13 :  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The past number of months, I’ve had a 3 and 6 year old who will break into song out of the blue with various Mamma Mia! tunes at the top of their lungs (doesn’t matter where we are either… for the 3 year old anyway!)

They were introduced to ABBA by their aunt, cousin and grandmother and have been singing the songs non-stop ever since!  It’s been an experience for daddy!  It’s a good thing I like to sing and dance along!  I think I would have put off their discovery of Mamma Mia! until they were a bit older though… some of the lyrics are rather ahead of their time!

“Mom, what does:  ‘Give me, Give me, Give me a man after midnight’ mean?”

Oh boy…

On the one hand, I’ve had to repeatedly remind my nearly 4-year old that even if they slide down the banister and jump on the bed in Mamma Mia!, it doesn’t mean that it’s okay!… And on the other, my 6 year old inquisitive daughter has been dissecting the lyrics to the songs with her incredible memory, asking me about this line, and that… The movie and songs have actually sparked some great conversations with her which has been great.  She’s had so many questions, such as…

“Sophie is 20!  She’s not old enough to get married, is she?… Is she old enough to babysit?”

Then came this question:

“Mom, what does ‘Don’t go wasting your emotions… lay all your love on me’ mean?”

I don’t tend to over-spiritualize everything with my kids, but as I stopped to think about it, this is the only response that really made sense to me (though she gets that it’s not really what they meant in the movie – but this is what makes more sense)…

“That’s exactly what God wants us to do!  He wants us to stop wasting our emotions on things like worry and fear, and instead to lay all our love on Him!  When we love Him first and remember how much He loves us, then we can stop wasting our emotions on some of those other things that drain us for nothing…”

God speaking through an ABBA song?  Who knew.  It does jive with so many verses in the Bible though…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Are you “wasting” your emotions?  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our daily troubles and allow them to consume us… God’s there calling us to lift our eyes from our “stuff” that so entangles us, and to look to Him for peace…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

I love how our pastor put it in his sermon entitled “Worry-Less Living” in April…  He called it “The Phil 4-6 Principle”:  Worry about NOTHING, Pray about EVERYTHING.

So easily said… I just need to remember it when it matters!